“Never has a senator been paid so much to do so little for the people of Kentucky,” she said.

During the candidates' first joint public appearance since the Fancy Farm Picnic, McConnell said his role as the Republican Senate leader caused him to miss some meetings, but the farm bill he helped negotiate saved crop insurance for Kentucky's tobacco farmers.

McConnell said his leadership position gives Kentucky a strong voice, and it’s unlikely his replacement would assume such a post anytime soon.

“It would be a long time, a long time coming,” he said. “So you’re looking at a dramatic loss of influence.”

McConnell and Grimes fielded questions at a Kentucky Farm Bureau Forum in Louisville.